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Category Archives: Screenwriting
Characters – The Attributes of Age
Introduction Writers tend to create characters that are more or less the same age as themselves. On the one hand, this follows the old adage that one should write about what one knows. But in real life, we encounter people … Continue reading
Posted in Building Characters, Featured Articles, Novel Writing, Screenwriting, Writing Tip of the Day
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How to Avoid the “Genre Trap”
A common misconception sees genre as a fixed list of dramatic requirements or a rigid structural template from which there can be no deviation. Writers laboring under these restrictions often find themselves boxed-in creatively. They become snared in the Genre … Continue reading
Posted in Featured Articles, Genre, Novel Writing, Screenwriting, Writing Tip of the Day
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Drop Exposition through Arguments
Here’s a short one… A person talking is often boring. People arguing are often compelling. If you have to drop exposition, try to do it in the back and forth barbs of an argument. Let the characters use the information … Continue reading
Posted in Novel Writing, Quick Tips, Screenwriting, Storytelling, Storytelling Tips, Writing Tip of the Day
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Screenwriting Tip: Don’t say it if you can show it!
Excerpted from: 50 Sure-Fire Storytelling Tricks! By Melanie Anne Phillips Available in Paperback and for Kindle Movies are a visual medium. The strongest impact is created by what is seen, not what is said. Although we might marvel at well-written … Continue reading
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Writing with Red Herrings
Excerpted from: 50 Sure-Fire Storytelling Tricks! By Melanie Anne Phillips Available in Paperback and for Kindle The old expression, “A Red Herring,” means something that is intentionally misleading. In screenplays, a red herring is a scene, which is set up … Continue reading
Posted in Featured Articles, Novel Writing, Screenwriting, Storytelling, Storytelling Tips, Writing Tip of the Day
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Screenwriting Tip: Break Up Monologues
Excerpted from: 50 Sure-Fire Storytelling Tricks! By Melanie Anne Phillips Available in Paperback and for Kindle There are some moments in some movies in which a long monolog by a single individual works well. Any inspiring public speech, for example, … Continue reading
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Using Index Cards for Your Story
Excerpted from: 50 Sure-Fire Storytelling Tricks! By Melanie Anne Phillips Available in Paperback and for Kindle Index cards (3×5 or 5×7 in size) are often used by screenwriters to plan out the sequence of events in their stories. Usually, a script … Continue reading
Posted in Creative Writing, Novel Writing, Practical Tips, Screenwriting, Writing Tip of the Day
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